Wings of Glass
by EbonyShroud
Summary: It's been three years since Sarah journeyed through the Labyrinth to rescue Toby, but she can't seem to forget the trials she had faced. Then, on a quiet evening alone, she discovers that she is not the only one who still remembers that journey.
1. Chapter 1

It was a peaceful Saturday evening, the children that lived next door were skipping rope in their front yard and singing gaily, ignorant that the sun was steadily sinking towards the western sky.

"Sarah? We are heading out. We'll be back in time for dinner, so don't snack on junk food while we're out," A male voice called. Sarah looked up from her book, Bram Stoker's infamous Dracula, to glance at the doorway and noticing her father standing just past the entrance. Her father did not wait for a reply, instead walking down the stairs and out the door to the patio. She sat up and glanced out to the window to see her stepmother's car pull out of the driveway; a murky-brown mop of hair was visible in the back seat before it drove onwards to its destination.

The mop of hair was her stepbrother, off to get his hair cut once again. His mother didn't like how his hair would reach his collar and he complained of the hair dangling in his eyes. So, they got an appointment with a barber down at the town center. They didn't ask Sarah if she wanted to go with them, so she was left at the home. If they had asked, she would have gone with. She didn't like being left alone. It wasn't because she didn't want to be lonely, nor was it the unnatural silence that came when the parents and children leave for a time.

She was scared of Jareth.

The Goblin King was someone Sarah was always uneasy about. Three years ago, she foolishly wished away her brother to the goblins. To gain him back, she had less than thirteen hours to navigate the massive labyrinth and reach the castle beyond the Goblin City. There, the Goblin King tried to convince her to give up her quest and she ended up scorning him. She had won back her brother, but that look on his face when she did was both frightful and worrying.

She was jolted out of her memory-filled thoughts by a sharp ping, coming from the floor below. She waited, and then heard another ping. She put the book calmly on the quilted blanket and sat up. At the third ping, she stood up and walked to the door. She touched the brass doorknob and froze; curiosity suddenly plummeted to cold fear. She shook her head and turned the knob, pushing the door open.

The pings came faster as she walked down the hallway and touched the banister, like something was dancing on the keys of a piano. Of course they had a piano, but who would break in to play a piano that hasn't been tuned for at least two years. She carefully took a couple of steps down the stairs, listening. Once she reached the fifth step, the noise stopped.

"Who's there?" She called, taking a step before kneeling to peer into the living room.

It was empty, the piano still had its wooden cover over the keys and the room seemed undisturbed.

"What?" She yelped, rushing down the stairs and lifting the cover. The white and black keys gleamed up at her, undisturbed.

"Did I imagine it?" Sarah wondered out loud, setting the cover back over the keys.

"_Tee hee hee_," Something giggled in response. Sarah spun, leaning against the piano in fright while looking around. The room was still empty around her, but she thought she saw something near the stairs.

"What the hell!" She shouted, rushing to the stairs and looked up. The stairs were empty, as they had been when she had walked down them.

"If I have a panic attack every time I am left alone, I'll never survive leaving for college," She groaned as she turned around. She plodded to the kitchen and opened the fridge, glancing at the fridge's contents. She spied a bottle of grape soda half-hidden by a carton of orange juice near the back of the fridge, she smiled as she reached in to take the bottle.

Just as she placed her fingers on the top of the soda she was reaching for, she heard something crash. She froze, and then slowly pulled her hand away from the chilled air and closed the fridge door. She took a breath to calm herself, and then she took one of the knives from the drawers nearby and walked to the door.

"Get out!" She screamed as she pushed the door open. She saw something fall and smash on the floor. She walked over to it, kneeling to examine it. It was broken glass, maybe from a crystalline ball or from a snow globe.

"How did that get here?" She wondered. She reached down to touch the shards, and then remembered that touching broken glass without a towel or other form of protection wasn't such a good idea.

"Oh well, better go clean this up," Sarah muttered, standing up and turning back to the kitchen.

"_Sarah_…" A thin high-pitched voice giggled. Sarah stopped, and then turned. The glass was melting, forming a small pool on the carpet.

"_Sarah_…" It called again. Sarah withheld a gasp as what looked like wings unfurled from the pool. A head appeared next, while the rest of the pool condensed to form a thin spindly body. It looked at her, an expressionless face staring up at her.

"No, it can't be…" Sarah whispered in shock. The thing cocked its head, as if it didn't understand what she had said.

"_Sarah_…" It giggled, stumbling to its feet and flapped its clear wings to try and get into the air.

"_Sarah?_" "_Sarah!_" "_Sarah…_" More voices seemed to answer, in the same thin voice. She screamed as she felt something pull at her ankle. She kicked out at it, dislodging whatever was on her ankles and sent them across the room. She ran for the stairs, ignoring the smashing of glass and the giggles. She started racing up the stairs, then her foot caught on the step and she tripped.

"_Don't run, Sarah_," One giggled manically. She looked back; the first had figured out how to work its crystalline wings and was hovering above the ground. Gracefully, it fluttered over to her face, landing quietly on the step.

"_It will only be worse if you run_," It giggled.

"Leave me alone!" She shrieked, a sudden flush of anger overwhelmed her and she struck at it. It shattered against the step, cutting into Sarah's hand. The other creatures stopped giggling.

"…_Sorry, Sarah_…" She heard, and then her hand began to burn. She screamed as the glass melted and began spilling down her hand, now stained slightly red from her blood. It dripped from her hand and formed a puddle again.

"…_That won't work_…" It giggled as its head rose from the pool. The giggles got louder as the rest joined in.

"Stop it!" She screamed, pushing herself up and running up the rest of the stairs. She rushed into her room and slammed the door shut. She leaned against the door, fumbling for the lock. Once she touched the brass lock, she realized the laughter had stopped. She stopped moving, listening for the laughter or if they were coming.

"…Is it over?" She asked herself softly, stepping back. She looked down from the door, realizing she still had the knife in her hand. With a sigh, she threw it onto the bed.

"I'll just wait here until they come home, I'll make up an excuse somehow…" Sarah muttered, and then she heard a knock on the door. She froze, listening to a second knock and the door handle squeak as it turned. She spun around, praying that it was just her imagination. The door opened, swinging out gracefully. Sarah felt cold with fear as she recognized who was standing before her.

"Hello, Sarah," A dark silky voice softly hissed.


	2. Chapter 2

"…Jareth…" She softly whispered. The Goblin King smiled when he heard her say his name, a soft amused smile with a faint tinge of malice.

"Why do you look surprised to see me, Sarah?" He asked as he stepped over the threshold into her room. She stood her ground, trying not to reveal her fear. The knife flashed across her mind, but she had no idea if she could possibly reach it without him noticing.

"What are you doing here, Jareth?" She asked, thankful her voice didn't squeak. His smile deepened, the malice that had glittered in his eyes melting away to pure amusement.

"Why, Sarah, are you so wary? I just came to visit, just like your friends have," He replied, taking another step towards her. She took a step back, bumping into the bed. The cold knot in her stomach inflated when he mentioned her friends from the Labyrinth visiting.

"How do you…" She softly gasped.

"Did you think I would not find out? Did you expect me to let them go without punishment, without suffering the consequences of their actions?" He softly replied, turning to look around the room and glared at dressing table. Something had caught his eye and she took a glance from him to see what it could possibly be. There was nothing on the table that would be interesting, unless he had a mad desire to use her hairbrush or the ruby lipstick she had left without its cap, but he walked over and gently trailed his fingers across the wooden surface.

"What did you do to them?" She asked shakily. She had noticed they didn't visit as much as they would recently, but she never thought he would do something to them. Jareth pulled his fingers away from the wooden dressing table, but only for a second before he opened the top drawer and pulled out the one thing she had hidden away for three years. The crimson cover was coated in dust and whispery strands of cobwebs, which Jareth brushed away gently with the tips of his fingers. The title, The Labyrinth, gleamed in the light, as if it had been waiting eagerly for the day it would be read again in the warm sunlight or by the lamp.

"Why did you hide the book, Sarah? Are you afraid that young Toby would find it, or maybe one of your naive friends would when they came to visit you and get ideas in their heads?" He answered instead, flashing her a smile before turning again and placing the book upright in front of the mirror. She risked a glance at the knife; its shiny silver edge glittered as if in anticipation.

"Please, answer my question," She asked again, reaching to touch the bedpost closest to the knife. She felt something cold and recoiled, looking away from the Goblin King to see one of the crystalline creatures sitting on the post. It giggled, swinging its legs happily against the white wood while staring up at her with a face that possessed no features.

"I cast them into the oubliettes, ones that can't be found easily by those few who do traverse the Labyrinth," He replied indifferently, turning around to face her. His eyes glanced towards the creature and she felt whatever hope she had diminishing when the creature giggled and he glanced at the knife sitting on the quilted blanket. His smile twisted into a sardonic grin.

"Sarah? Are you scared?" He asked softly. Sarah's chest tightened in terror, no matter how hard she tried to squash the feelings it still bubbled up.

"No," She replied. He looked up away from the knife to stare at her, his face emotionless, and then he began to laugh. His laughter, crisp and silky, was infectious. She had an urge to join in laughing, but she bit her lip to keep herself from letting her voice join.

"Oh, Sarah, you are still so childish," He chided between laughs. Sarah flushed with anger, infuriated that he had the audacity to laugh at her, to treat her as a child. He glanced at her and his laugh dwindled to a faint rumbling chuckle.

"Sarah," He called softly, taking a step towards her.

"I want you to leave, now!" She squeaked in response. Another chuckle escaped his lips, but it wasn't as cheerful.

"Sarah…" He said warningly, a faint amused lilt was all that was left that infectious laughter.

"No! You have no…" She started to shriek, panic starting to sink its claws into her heart. But, the tips of glove-covered fingers touched her lips and her shriek dwindled to a soft gasp. He had moved too fast for her to see, the movement freezing her in spot with terror.

"I cannot leave yet, Sarah, for there is a choice you must make," He hissed, eyes gleaming in dark fury. Sarah withheld a scream and stepped back, his hand falling away as she did so.

"Choice?" She asked with a shuddering gasp. His smile returned and with a grand flourish, summoned a crystal out of midair. The crystal danced in his palm, spinning like a giddy ballerina on his gloved palm, and with a glittery poof turned into a peach.

"…No," Sarah sputtered, looking between him and the peach sitting docile on his palm.

"Sarah, if you jump to conclusions, you'll find yourself in situations that are easily prevented. You need to learn to listen before you speak," He remarked in annoyance.

"…Fine, what is it?" She replied, hoping it was something she could easily refuse. His eyes gleamed brightly as he smiled, predatory and sly.

"The choice is, Sarah, you shall come with me back to the Labyrinth, or I shall take back Toby,"


	3. Chapter 3

"…What?" Sarah sputtered, struggling to keep breathing. She couldn't hear the children playing outside, or anything outside of the room for that matter. All she could hear was her own breathing and her heart racing in fear.

"I said it quite clearly, Sarah," Jareth growled in annoyance, his face was very alike an emotionless sculpture. He wasn't even looking at her, instead staring at the peach sitting docile on his palm

"Why?" Sarah gasped. A smile broke through his cold demeanor, catlike and sly. He turned his head slightly to stare at her, the dark orbs that were his eyes werw gleaming.

"Why what, Sarah? Do you thinks it's, what was that word you seemed to love a long time ago, unfair?" He replied. He turned his back on her, facing the mirror instead. The peach sat on his outstretched hand, succulent and inviting.

"…But…" She whispered. Her throat felt raw and she could feel hot tears start to form in her eyes. She bit her lip, not willing to let Jareth see a single tear.

"Now, Sarah, what shall you do? Shall you sacrifice yourself, or give up your brother again?" He asked coolly, twisting his hand so that the peach smoothly glided across his hand to sit at the tips of his fingers.

"You can't take Toby without…" Sarah said, her voice trembled but was as firm as she hoped it would.

"…him having to be wished away? No, dear, I can take him if he accepts an invitation," he replied, a faint laugh at the base of his voice.

"Invitation?" Sarah whispered. Her stomach twisted and the room seemed to become colder. A soft chuckle escaped from the Goblin King as he flicked up his hand. The peach was tossed into the air momentarily before it fell back onto Jareth's gloved palm.

"I heard dear Toby really loves fruit. Any fruit: apples, oranges, pineapples, _peaches_…" He said slowly, allowing each word to hang in the air. He looked from the peach to watch her reflection in the mirror, a faint smirk just beginning to form on his lips.

"No. You…you can't!" Sarah stammered. Bile burned the back of her throat as she realized the threat. Toby was always told not to accept candy or anything from strangers, but he had a habit of eating fruit and candy if perchance he found it. Jareth spun around, a full-fledged grin on his face.

"It's not a matter of if I can or if I can't, such a debate is meaningless to anyone whose mind is set on whatever goal it desired to accomplish. I will. You have to choose whether I take Toby or you," He replied, holding the peach out to Sarah as if he already knew what decision she was going to take.

"…How do I know you won't take Toby if, by some reason, I choose to go with you?" Sarah asked, struggling to ask the question.

"I promise not to come near Toby until he comes to the same age you were when you first visited the Labyrinth," Jareth replied in an instant, his voice revealing both impatience and glee.

"…That's not enough. Swear on oath, please," Sarah retorted. Jareth sighed, as if this were a tedious task she had asked of him. However, the cat-like smirk on his face revealed his true feelings, the thought of victory.

"I, King of the Goblins, do swear upon painful death not to touch Toby Williams until the day of his fifteenth birthday. Does that suffice?" Jareth replied, unblinking eyes delving into Sarah's in an attempt to make sure that she was not lying. Sarah opened to mouth to say something, but her hurting throat closed on its own in her fear. Since she ability to speakl was silenced, she held out her hand to take the peach.

Jareth's face didn't change as he dropped the peach into Sarah's hand, the smile didn't morph into a victorious grin nor did the look of glee slip from his eyes. The peach sat docile in her hand, still as rich and juicy as it was when Jareth first summoned it.

"Just eat the peach, love. It will make the transition much less frightening," He said soothingly. Sarah glared at him, the glare made his smile deepen, and took a bite of the peach. The minute she bit the peach, dizziness and fatigue swamped her. With a moan, she fell to her knees, trying not to throw up. Jareth knelt, wrapping one arm almost soothingly around her waist and taking the hand with the peach in his other. Then, he started as distant sounds of thumping on the staircase were heard.

"What?" Sarah heard Jareth hiss and he let go of her to stand up. Sarah knew she had little time left; she spat out the peach she had bitten off. It landed in her palm with a sickening plop and she shoved it underneath the dresser. However, it did not stop the overwhelming darkness. As she tried to hold on, the door flung open and a blurry figure came to the door.

"SARAH!" He screamed, his childish yell made Sarah both wince at it's shrillness and her stomach plummet as she recognized it.

"…No, Toby…" She whispered frantically before finally she lost the battle to stay conscious and she collapsed.


	4. Chapter 4

Toby sat silently by his father in the living room; the worn old teddy bear that Sarah had given to him was clenched to in his arms as he watched the men in the navy outfits take a sample of the blood on the stairs.

"Papa, who are they?" Toby asked quietly, snuggling closer to his father's side. Toby's father looked down in surprise, taking his eyes away from the door where his wife was being questioned over what she saw.

"They're police men, Toby. They're here to help try and find out what happened to Sarah," He replied. Toby nodded silently and hugged the teddy tighter. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until the door to the kitchen opened. Toby looked at his mother standing in the doorway, her make-up was running in tiny rivers of black eyeliner and rosy blush down her face and her blouse and skirt were wrinkled.

"Toby? Please come in here," She asked. He slid off the couch and silently trod over to her.

"The police men want to ask you some questions, okay?" She asked.

"Okay," Toby replied softly, taking one hand away from his precious toy and grabbing onto his mother's tan skirt. With a weak smile, she detangled his hand from her skirt and led him by the hand into the kitchen. Sitting at the table where they usually sat and ate various meals were two men in the same uniforms as the men on the stairs.

"Hello, Toby. We want you to answer some questions about what happened," One said as Toby sat down on one of the white wooden chairs. The first policeman had a thick moustache that enveloped his whole mouth, making his words seem to come out of the thick hair. Toby stared at him before remembering he was to answer and nodded.

"Your parents were bringing you to a hair appointment, correct?" The other one asked, tapping a pencil against the table.

"Yes, mommy wanted my hair cut," Toby replied. The men nodded in agreement, the policeman with the moustache opened a pad and checked off something on the piece of paper.

"Why did you come back to the house?" He asked.

"Lancelot was still with Sarah, he had an ap-" Toby stared before stumbling on the long word both his mother and the men in the uniforms had said.

"Lancelot?" The second policeman asked.

"Toby's teddy bear, Mr. Razz," Toby's mother supplied.

"I see. Thank you, Mrs. Williams. Toby, can you tell us what happened once you arrived back at the house?" The man with the moustache asked.

"Um, Mr. Moustache-man?" Toby asked quietly. Razz barked out a laugh, but was silenced by the other detective.

"Please call me John. What is it?" He asked, glaring back at the still snickering Razz.

"Please don't put soap in my mouth, okay?" He said softly.

"Okay, Toby. Please tell us what happened," John replied with a smile. Toby looked up at his mom, who smiled in encouragement, and looked back at the impatient officers.

"…When we came back, I went to find Lancelot. When I went to the stairs, there was blood on the stairs. I was scared, cause mommy always gets worried whenever blood is anywhere, so I ran to Sarah's room. Bad-man was there and Sarah was asleep on the floor," Toby started.

"I'm sorry, but who is bad-man?" Razz asked.

"…I don't know, but he's bad," Toby replied.

"Okay, please continue," John replied.

"…Bad-man turned and said my name. I went to Sarah and tried waking her up, but she would not wake up. Bad-man pulled Sarah away and I got angry. So, I bit him really hard until the blood came up from his arm," Toby continued.

"Is that when your mom came up?" John asked.

"Yes, mommy started yelling and I got scared. So I let go and next thing I know, I got soap in my mouth," Toby finished.

"Thank you, Toby. That will be…" Razz started.

"Um, Mister? Can I see Sarah? I really want to see her," Toby asked quietly. The two men looked at each other before Razz got up and walked out of the kitchen into the living room.

"I'm sorry, but it's not possible right now," John said as he stood up.

"…Are you angry because I bit bad-man?" Toby asked.

"No! Of course not, sweetie! You did a brave thing, but that blood would have been very bad for you," She replied in surprise and worry, enveloping him in a warm squishing hug.

"Mommy, is Sarah okay?" He asked, his little voice muffled by the hug. She hugged him tighter before letting go.

"…I don't know, Toby," She replied.

"Let's go see if the policemen are gone," She said, standing up. His mother's warm hand enveloped his tiny one and she led him back to the living room. The living room was empty; the only person left was his father sitting slumped on the armchair. His head was buried in her hands and strange sobbing noises were coming from him.

"Papa?" Toby asked nervously. He looked up at him when suddenly the telephone rang. They all jumped in surprise and he leapt up and ran to the kitchen to get the phone.

"…How's Lancelot?" She asked, kneeling and smiling to Toby.

"He's sad and scared, right Lancelot?" Toby said, lifting Lancelot so that his tiny bead eyes looked back at him.

"How about some warm milk?" She asked.

"Yes, please," Toby replied with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but that will have to wait. Let's get out to the car," His father said as he came back.

"Where are we going?" Toby asked as he followed his father out the front door.

"We're going to see Sarah at the hospital,"


	5. Chapter 5

A soft comforting thrum was what first aroused Sarah. The reverberating thrum grew louder as Sarah slowly began regaining conscious.

'What…is that?' She thought dully, trying to remember what had happened to her. With a strange amount of effort, as if she was afraid of wherever she was, she opened her eyes. White light immediately burned into her eyes, making her wince at how bright it was. A headache formed as she blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness.

'White; did Jareth…" She wondered, thinking the name subconsciously. The name brought the memories back in a torrent of horror: being alone in the house, the glass fairies, Jareth, the choice, the peach…

"…No…" She moaned, afraid that now she was back in the one place she never wished to return to.

"Hey, you awake?" A voice interrupted, a sharp low female's voice. Sarah turned her head slowly with increasing dread. To her surprise, there was another bed sitting a couple of feet away from her, where a girl with a painful-looking scab on her face was staring at her. The noise she had heard earlier was the machine sitting by the bed, making sure the girl was still alive.

"What…?" Sarah croaked, confused. The girl smiled, obviously noticing her confusion.

"Hey, your name's Sarah, right? You're in the hospital," The girl replied, waving her hand to emphasize what she had said. Still perplexed, she looked around. The plain whitewashed walls, the tiny stuffed animals and presents sitting on a nearby table for the wounded girl, the white drapes hanging uselessly to the side of the window, were all the signs that she was indeed in a hospital.

"Why am I here?" Sarah asked, pushing herself up with extreme effort. Her arms didn't want to respond, they were sluggish and seemed to just stay down. Despite this, she managed to prop herself up so that she was sitting up.

"Shouldn't you know that? Oh, wait, you just woke up. Sorry," The girl responded, picking up a silver object from her lap and turning it on.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Sarah asked.

"The name's Samantha. I'm here cause some bastard ran me over with his car," The girl replied, not even bothering to look up from the object she had. Sarah glanced at it, recognizing it as a Gameboy. Some of the kids in her neighborhood had managed to convince their parents to buy one when it came out, but not many.

"Hello, Samantha…" Sarah started, but then the door opened and an officer came bustling in. He walked over to the girl's bed.

"Samantha, we found the man who had run you over. While he refuses to acknowledge that he had struck you, we found traces of blood on the car and a witness to the crime," The officer reported.

"Good, I hope the bastard gets to rot in jail," Samantha replied with a sour grin. The officer nodded and turned, noticing Sarah sitting up.

"Good evening, miss," He greeted congenially before walking out. In an instant, a nurse came in. Her face beamed happily when she saw that Sarah was awake.

"Oh, good, you woke up. There are two officers that wish to speak to you," The woman said.

"Officers?" Sarah asked, wondering what was going on. She was in a hospital, but wasn't she supposed to be in the Labyrinth? Not that she didn't mind being in the hospital instead of in Jareth's clutches, but it wasn't making sense.

"Yes, they want to ask some questions. I'll send them in," She replied before rushing back out the door.

"I know it's not any of my business, but were you attacked?" Samantha asked timidly.

"…in a way," Sarah replied before the nurse returned. Trailing after her were two tall burly detectives. They looked so alike that Sarah could swear they were twins.

"Ms. Williams? We wish to ask you some questions about what had happened when your family had left for a hair appointment," The first one asked.

"All right," Sarah replied. The officer glanced at Samantha, who was busy clicking buttons and softly cursing under her breath, and decided that the girl was too busy with her Gameboy to listen.

"Why did you not go with your family?"

"They never asked if I had wanted to go, plus the appointment was just for Toby," Sarah replied, watching the detective pull out a notebook, flip through the yellow lined pages, and jot something down.

"Can you tell us what happened?" The second officer asked. Sarah swallowed; her throat was sore and dry.

"Yes," She replied softly.

"I was reading Dracula when I heard what sounded like a thump from the main floor. When I went down there, I didn't find anyone. So, I went to grab a drink and heard what I thought was someone opening the door. I looked at it wasn't anyone I knew. So, I grabbed a knife and ran to my room. He followed me to my room and after he forced my to relinquish the knife, I was knocked out," Sarah replied, careful to avoid saying something she would deeply regret. The officers would think she was 'hit' too hard if she mentioned that he was the King of the Goblins and that she had cut her hand on a glass animated fairy. Just that alone would earn her a visit to the psychiatric ward.

"Do you remember what he looks like?" The first officer asked as he continued to write down Sarah's edited explanation.

"He had blonde rangy hair and was wearing some sort of evil-warlord-wannabe costume. I can't remember anything else about him," Sarah answered.

"Did you know him, maybe from school?"

"No, I had never seen him before," Sarah replied, looking down and smoothing out a wrinkle in the bed sheet.

"…Is that all you can honestly remember?" The second police officer asked, glaring at her as if he could sense that she was lying.

"It's all I can remember," She replied, withholding the urge to add a mocking tone to it.

"Very well, thank you, Ms. Williams. Your parents were notified by the nurse and should be arriving here very soon. Have a nice day," The first officer said. They nodded their heads to Sarah and walked out of the room.

"…Sorry, but did you just call someone an evil-warlord-wannabe? It's the only thing I heard, I swear," Samantha asked, looking away from her game.

"It's okay. Yes, I did call whoever broke into my house that," Sarah replied. The girl smiled.

"What are you playing?" Sarah asked curiously.

"It's called **Baseball**, wanna try?" The girl asked. Sarah thought about it, and nodded. The girl's grin widened and she slid out of bed to walk over to Sarah. The hospital gown she wore revealed bruises on her legs and a huge scabbing wound on her left arm, but it obviously didn't hamper her.

"Here, let me start a game for you," She said. She fiddled with the Gameboy for a couple of minutes and then gave it to Sarah. The pixels on the screen flashed and showed a crude but easily discernible image of a baseball field. Samantha quickly helped her and soon Sarah figured out the controls. Once she knew that Sarah could control the players, Samantha padded over to the window and shoved aside the dreary drapes. For a couple of minutes, the only sound in the room was the machine still humming away and the sounds of Sarah losing at her first video game.

"Sarah, come look at this owl! It's huge!" Samantha called. Sarah froze, ignoring the noise as her batter missed a ball.

"What kind of owl?"

"I don't know, but its white and tan and the largest damn owl I have ever seen. Why?" Samantha asked, turning to glance at Sarah.

"Well…" Sarah mumbled as she tried to think of an excuse.

"Oh, I get it! You're afraid of birds! Okay, then I'll scare it away," Samantha interrupted with a grin. She walked over, plucked a rotten looking orange from her pile of presents, and walked back to the window. She opened the window and without waiting, she threw the orange. An unearthly shriek made Sarah jump in surprise and Samantha closed the window.

"Missed him, but I think the stupid owl got the point," Samantha said, a bright grin on her face. Sarah timidly held out the Gameboy and the girl took it back, returning to her bed while beginning a new game. Then the door slammed open and startled the two girls.

"Sarah!" Toby's voice was loud and crystal clear as he ran and nearly knocked Sarah off the bed in his haste to hug her.

"Toby…" Sarah whispered as she returned his hug. Her father and stepmother came in, smiling in obvious relief.

"Are you okay, Sarah? Bad-man did not hurt you, right?" Toby asked, refusing to let go of Sarah.

"Bad-man didn't hurt me, Toby. It's okay," Sarah replied soothingly, brushing back his hair comfortingly. Toby nodded and snuggled closer to Sarah, just like he used to whenever a summer storm came sweeping past the house.

"It's good to see that you are better, Sarah," Her stepmother said. The door opened again and the nurse from earlier came in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Williams? Your daughter will be allowed to leave tomorrow," The nurse curtly said.

"Why can't she come home tonight?" Her father demanded.

"There seems to be some sort of sleeping agent in her blood, unlike what we have ever seen. It is just a precaution. If you would like to talk to the doctor, come with me," She replied before walking back out the door.

"Toby, stay here with Sarah. We'll be back," Her father said before they both walked out of the door to follow the nurse.

"Great, not that its great that you are stuck in the hospital, but you can stay and play **Dungeons and Dragons** with me and my buddies," Samantha crowed, her voice filled with sudden enthusiasm. Toby looked over Sarah's shoulder at the smiling girl.

"Toby, this is Samantha. Samantha, this is my brother Toby," Sarah said.

"Hi," Toby squeaked in a little voice.

"Nice meeting ya, Toby," The girl replied before pulling a brightly colored stuffed animal from her pile of presents and began tossing up into the air.

"Um, Sarah. Is bad-man coming back?" Toby sniffed.

"…He might, Toby. When we get home, I promise to tell you about bad-man. Okay?" Sarah whispered. Toby nodded, easing away from Sarah so that he no longer was hugging her, but was still sitting on the bed.

"I really want you to come home tonight," Toby sniffed. Sarah smiled at him.

"Hey, Toby. Don't worry about your big sister! She'll be home bright and early tomorrow, that's what that nurse said," Samantha called cheerfully. Toby nodded and he noticed the Gameboy. His eyes glistening with curiosity and he slid off the bed to investigate the strange device. As Sarah watched Toby, her mind wandered to the events that had taken place back at the house. She accepted Jareth's deal, but she was not in the Labyrinth.

'Maybe, it's because I did not swallow the peach when Toby interrupted,' Sarah wondered. Since she didn't eat it, did it mean that she never accepted the offer?

"Sarah! Look at this!" Toby said excitedly. Sarah looked at Toby and smiled, but her eyes were suddenly then attracted to the window. A cold feeling of terror suddenly settled in her stomach, she could see a large barn owl glaring menacingly at her through the window.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading my story. Thanks also goes out to the following people for reviewing my story:**

**hazlgrnLizzy**

**notwritten**

**CarrieCullen9586**

**magialuna**

**xxxCosmicxxxMoonxxxCrystalxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heh, this story was supposed to have been finished with chapter five, but I didn't like the ending. Sorry if I confused anyone about that. Please enjoy. Also, I have only played D&D once, so sorry for any mistakes dealing with game-play.**

* * *

As twilight began fading into the ebony veil of night, the nurse came in to check on the two girls one last time and to shoo away all the visitors. However, she never was expecting of what was to come.

"…Here we go, Mage Sarah, Ranger Samantha, and Druid Robert! You push open the rotten oak door and a scent of musty cold air billowed from the room. Your group enters to find a large ancient antechamber, where the remains of a fight are scattered across the stone floor. There seems to be a prominent magical force in the air, which may be traced to its source. Roll the red die if a wizard-class member is on the field to see if you can find the source," One of the boys, an awkward-looking redhead with a healing black eye said, said before handing the red die to Sarah. The other four: Samantha, Toby, and Samantha's other two friends, stared as Sarah rolled the die. The red die skittered across the board, narrowly missing the figurine that was representing Samantha's character. It skidded to a halt, the number thirteen gleaming upwards.

"You rolled a thirteen, which is a success. With a little effort, the magic turns a dark melancholy blue. The magic is coming from a humanoid object, which was previously unseen. A roar echoes around as the creature comes out. It's a…"

"Visiting hours are now over," The nurse interrupted, making all of them jump in surprise.

"A nurse appears! She attacks with the spell, Loud Reprimand! Roll the blue die to see how much damage affects mage Sarah!" Samantha shouted, grabbing the die and shoving it into Sarah's hand.

"That's enough…" The nurse, her tight-lipped smile turning into a scowl. The die slipped from Sarah's hand and danced across the board, landing on the bed.

"It's an eleven. Twenty-five hit points are deducted. Mage Sarah is down!" One of the other boys shouted, flicking Sarah's figurine off of the board.

"I attack next!" Samantha said as she grabbed the die that Sarah had dropped and rolled it.

"It's a two. Seven hit points are deducted from the diabolical nurse!"

"I use the spell…" The other person playing, a black-haired boy sitting between Toby and Samantha, said as he reached for the die.

"That's enough! All of you, shoo! Go home!" The nurse growled, stalking towards them. In an instant, the red and black haired boys shot out of the room, leaving Toby, Sarah, Samantha, the last boy, and the annoyed nurse in the room.

"Flee!" Samantha giggled before she lunged to her hospital bed and hid beneath the covers like a child.

"Heh, sorry miss. Just having some fun. I'll see ya tomorrow, Sam!" The boy called before he grabbed the board and walked out of the room.

"Stupid teenagers," The nurse growled before stomping over to Samantha's bed to check on her wounds.

"Toby, it's time to go," Sarah heard her father's voice and saw him looking in from the door frame.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" Toby asked softly.

"Of course, you are coming to pick me up," Sarah replied, ruffling his hair gently. Toby smiled before slipping off the bed and padding over to his father.

"Bye, Sarah!" Toby called before they both walked out.

"It's too bad we couldn't finish the dungeon, you were pretty good at it!" Samantha said. The nurse shook her head as she finished checking Samantha and walked over to a tray that she had brought in. The nurse plucked a needle from the tray and walked back over to Sarah.

"Hold out your arm and relax, please," She sniffed. Sarah held out her arm and looked away as the nurse prepared to take a blood sample. She looked out the window, relieved to notice that there was no owl lurking menacingly outside the window.

"There, that's enough. I'm turning off the lights, so get some sleep," The nurse said before she walked to the door and left. The light was drenched in shadows, leaving them in semi-darkness.

"Yes, _mom_," Samantha snipped before she rolled onto her stomach. Sarah glanced at the window and then pulled the blanket to her chin. Something fell from her lap and she reached for the object. It was the mage figurine that she had been using for the game. She placed it on the end table, which was now covered in get-well letters due to her parents calling all of her friends, and stared up at the ceiling. After a couple of minutes, her eyes fell shut and she slipped into sleep.

* * *

Two hours after the girls had fallen asleep a soft wind blew open the window. It opened inwardly, making not a single noise as it bounced against the wall. An owl swept into the room, shape-shifting into human form as he landed in the hospital room. He coldly looked at the two girls, glaring momentarily at the girl who had so naively thrown the rotten orange in his direction before focusing on Sarah. A burning feeling came to the back of his throat as he stared at her, the feeling only described in one simple word.

Hate.

"You simple fool," He growled, walking towards the bed where the girl who once thwarted him lay sleeping. Several curious goblins poked their heads out of the closet, not daring to speak a word in fear that they would be seen and killed. Jareth glared down at her, a girl who only managed to get through by sheer coincidence, and felt the rage burn with intensity.

"Luck is a fickle thing, Sarah…" He whispered, lifting his hand. A crystal ball appeared on his palm with a flourish of glitter. The glitter fluttered onto Sarah's face, but it didn't disturb her slumber.

" …and it appears that yours has _run out_," Jareth continued, staring at the crystal. The crystal shivered and began melting, dripping down his fingers to drip down towards Sarah's face. As quickly as it landed, it melted into her skin.

* * *

_Sarah was standing on a stage, her soul fluttering as she sang about her unrequited love to an amazed audience. Her voice held them in bated breath, at least until a shrill scream from backstage interrupted Sarah. She turned and saw that the drapery that had been painted to represent a large orchard had been shredded to pieces. Between the shredded fabrics, golden eyes glared at her and a cacophony of laughter echoed at her and claws began shredding more of the drapes. Instant terror seized her and Sarah turned and ran. She leapt off the stage and pushed through the frightened crowd to the exits. She flung the doors open and stared aghast at what was in front of her. A road made of glowing silver stood before her, darkness enshrouding the surroundings. Something plucked at Sarah's costume and she screamed. Without glancing downwards, she wrenched her costume away and began running. She could hear the creatures catching up to her, one latching onto the hems of her costume and slashing at her legs._

_"Leave me alone!" She sobbed, batting away at the creature. It clashed at her hand, raking her skin. She screamed in pain. A creature ran alongside her and reached for her legs, catching onto one and tripping her. With a shriek, she fell.  
_

_"__HELP!"_

* * *

Jareth smiled sardonically as Sarah's peaceful slumber was drenched in a nightmare. Her breath began coming faster and she moaned in terror. She began lashing out, as if her body was trying to force her awake. Jareth knew it would never work, the spell could only be removed by him alone.

"...Sarah?" A sleepy voice muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

As Samantha pulled her face away from the warm comforting pillow and looked in Sarah's direction, she noticed something white. She couldn't tell what it was because her eyes were still trying to sleep, but as her eyes adjusted, she noticed it was a large owl. The owl was sitting on the bedpost of Sarah's bed, looking sweet and innocent.

"Hi, Mr. Owl," She said congenially, smiling at the owl. It blinked back at her; its yellow eyes bright with confused. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering what had woken her up. After several minutes of thinking, a single thought broke through her dazed mind.

"Hey, wait a second! You're not supposed to be in here! Sarah's afraid of birds! Shoo!" She yelped, leaping from the bed and waving her hands around wildly in an attempt to shoo the bird away. The owl gave her an incredulous look and refused to budge from his roost.

"Shoo, you stupid little…" Samantha growled again before a moan of pain interrupted her. She looked to see Sarah writhing in her bed, struggling to escape a nightmare.

"…Sarah?" She asked softly, forgetting about the bird. She walked over to the side of the bed and touched the girl's shoulder gently.

"Hey, Sarah, are you okay? C'mon, wake up,"

* * *

"_Augh!" Sarah screamed as she managed to knock a couple of the creatures away, leaving a short break in the swarmm of creatures. She took the opportunity, leaping up and began to run again. Her costume was mangled beyond recognition; the white silk dress was now shredded and drenched in blood. She ran, clamping her hands over her ears in an attempt to blot out the raucous laughter behind her. A strange shape formed and golden light fell ahead of her, she had somehow made it back to the theater house. Hope flashed in her mind as she ran the last stretch to the door. She slammed it shut, wincing as the door buckled a couple of times as the creatures launched themselves at the door._

"_What's going on?" Sarah sobbed, looking around the theater house. It was deserted; everyone had fled long before she had returned. A loud terrified sob managed to escape from her mouth and she collapsed against the door._

"_What's wrong, Sarah?" Sarah's heart seemed to stop as she heard the voice._

* * *

"Sarah!" Samantha shouted in surprise as Sarah flailed, smacking her arm against the head of the bed.

"Wake up!" Samantha yelled. When the girl refused to respond to her yell, Samantha ran for the door.

"Gotta get the nurse!" She mumbled as she reached the door. She tried opening the door, but it refused to open.

"Come on, damn it! Nurse! Can you hear me?" She yelled, twisting it as hard as she could. The bronze doorknob refused to budge.

* * *

"_Jareth, is this all your doing?" Sarah asked through gritted teeth. Laughter echoed at her as he calmly came out of the shadows. The smile on his face was cold and he held a pyramid of crystals in his left hand._

"_Yes, it is," He replied smugly._

"_I want you to stop it. Is this all because I defeated you?" She yelled. Jareth ignored her yell; instead he took one of the crystals off of the small pyramid._

"_Sarah, there is only one way to stop the nightmare," He replied as he let the crystal drop. It shattered into pieces before forming into a glass fairy. It sat on the floor and giggled, tucking it's knees under it's chin and staring up at it's creator._

"_Will you tell me?" Sarah asked, scared of the answer._

* * *

"Nurse!" Samantha yelled, pushing against the door with her shoulder. Her shoulder burned as it struck the door and she yelped in surprise, but the door did not open.

"C'mon! Nurse!" She yelled before she realized that it had become quieter. She turned and felt the panic disappear as she noticed that Sarah had calmed down.

"Sarah?" She called out questionly. Sarah didn't respond.

"Hey, are you waking up?" Samantha asked as she rushed over to Sarah.

* * *

"_Say the right words," Jareth replied, his smiling becoming sly and predatory._

"_You have no power over me," Sarah replied instantly. To her astonishment, Jareth began laughing._

"_Not those words, Sarah. As you can see, I have power over you. Must I quote what you said to Toby, three years ago?" He chuckled._

"…_No. No, I won't!" Sarah cried, remembering what she had told him._

'Say your right words, the goblins said, and we'll take the baby to the castle,'

_Jareth only continued to smile and suddenly the docile fairies leapt upwards into the air. They flew past Sarah and suddenly she heard the sound of the heavy doors opening._

"_What a pity,"_

* * *

Samantha jumped as the owl screeched.

"You little…" She yelled back at the bird, swiping at it. It snapped at her hand, forcing her to withdraw it before her hand got nipped. She prepared to strike at it again when Sarah began screaming.

"Sarah!" Samantha yelled, forgetting about the bird and turning to her in shock. Sarah was striking out, trying to fight off something.

"Wake up! Sarah!" Samantha yelled. To her relief, Sarah suddenly quieted, her yells turning to whimpers.

"Sarah?"

"…I…" Sarah mumbled.

"Huh?" Samantha said, leaning closer to hear her.

"…wish the goblins would take me away right now…"


	8. Chapter 8

As Toby was led through the long bland corridors of the hospital, he noticed that the people they passed were acting strangely. The younger nurses formed small groups along the hallway, whispering about something that had happened before they were dispersed by the other nurses. Even the patients were quiet, listening attentively for a clue about what was attracting the nurses' attention. Toby was so interested in the strange behavior that he did not notice his father had stopped until he bumped into him.

"Papa?" He asked timidly, peering up towards his father's face. His father did not respond, but stared down the hallway with an expression of confusion and worry. Toby looked to see a large knot of people in the middle of the hallway. The group was mostly composed of officers, with a couple of nurses and a doctor being questioned.

"Papa? What is going on?" Toby asked, pulling on his father's hand impatiently. To Toby's surprise, his father let go of his hand and walked quickly towards the group. One of the officers noticed him and walked away from the group to intercept him.

"Sir, you cannot come this way. If you need to visit someone down the hallway, you'll have to have to…" The officer called.

"This is my daughter's room. What has happened?" He demanded angrily. The officer stopped short, looking confused. Toby, curious as to why his father was so angry, walked down the hallway until he reached his father's side. However, no one noticed him.

"…Mr. Williams?" The officer asked nervously.

"What happened to my daughter?" He roared in reply, making the officer flinch in surprise and attracting the attention of the officers. A second officer left the group and walked over to Toby's father, a morose expression on his face.

"Mr. Williams, we apologize for not being able to contact you earlier. We regret to inform you that your daughter is missing," The second officer said. Toby saw his father pale and open his mouth to say something, but he could not manage to get a word out.

"What do you mean, Sarah's missing?" Toby asked shyly, grabbing his father's arm. The officers looked down at him, uncomfortable knowing that a child was listening to them.

"Mr. Williams, we wish to talk to you privately? We wish to ask some questions about your daughter," The first officer said, looking away from Toby.

"Very well. Toby, stay here," His father replied hoarsely. Toby nodded and let go, unsure of what was going on. He watched his father follow the two officers into one an office before looking around. None of the other officers noticed him, they were busy trying to find information about what had happened last night. Then, Toby saw a glimpse of the room where Sarah and the girl who shared the room with Sarah had been staying. With a faint smile, he wheedled through the crowd and stepped through the doorway.

* * *

The first thing Toby noticed was that Sarah's bed was a mess. The covers were piled in a tangle of sheets at the end of the bed and the pillow was on the floor. Since Sarah always made her bed, it worried Toby that she had not managed to fold the sheets as she usually did. Toby walked to the bed, thinking about making the bed for Sarah. He lightly touched one of the sheets before deciding not to make the bed.

"I can't remember very well," Toby heard a voice say and he looked to see Samantha and another officer near the window. Samantha was wrapped in a blanket in one of the armchairs, while the officer was sitting in a stool he had taken from one of the offices.

"Just tell me what you can remember," The officer replied in annoyance, tapping his pen against the pad of paper sitting on his knee in impatience.

"All I can remember is when I tried to shoo away this owl that had gotten into the room. Sarah began having nightmares and I tried getting help. That's all I can remember," Samantha mumbled.

"How did you try to get help? Did you leave the room?" The officer asked as he wrote down a synopsis of what she had told him.

" The door was locked. I think I shouted for help," Samantha replied, her voice was slow and uncertain. Then, she looked up and saw Toby.

"Toby…" She mumbled. The officer glared at her and then looked around and spotted Toby.

"You can't be in here! Where are your parents?" He growled, standing up and taking a step towards Toby.

"No, he's Sarah's little brother. I'm so sorry, Toby…" Samantha mumbled, tears starting to fall down her face.

"You are Sarah Williams' brother?" The officer asked suspiciously.

"Yes. Where is Sarah? I want to see her," Toby replied timidly. The stern look on the officer's face vanished in an instant.

"We all wish we knew, kid. She's gone and we are here to try and find her," He replied, tucking the pad of paper he had been writing in into his pocket. Samantha mumbled something, but it was unintelligible due to her crying.

"Did bad-man take her away?" Toby asked, a slight tremble of fear came to his voice.

"Who is bad-man?" The officer asked, kneeling down to make eye-contact with Toby.

"Sarah came here because of bad-man," Toby replied.

"Okay, we'll try to find bad-man. Thank you for telling me this," The officer said, smiling weakly before he stood up and looked back at Samantha.

"If you remember anything, please contact us as soon as possible. Good day," He replied before walking out the door. Toby watched him leave, and then walked slowly towards the sobbing girl.

"Why are you crying?" Toby asked. Samantha buried her head into her hands, trying to wipe away the tears.

"I can't remember! I can't remember what happened! I am sorry, Toby…" She sniffled.

"Toby, we are going home," Toby jumped when he heard his father's voice. He looked towards the door, where he could see his father standing.

"Bye," He mumbled before he ran to his father's side. He grabbed a hold of his father's sleeve, not wanting to let go as he realized that Sarah was really gone.

* * *

In the castle, Jareth smiled as he spun a crystal ball on the tips of his fingers. He could hear a cacophony of bangs, crashes, and the sounds of explosions coming from the courtyard, where the goblins were having some sort of race. A slow smile came to his face as he tossed the crystal in the air.

"Humans are fascinating when they are confronted with magic; they never acknowledge the consequences until it is far too late," He muttered as he caught the crystal. A wish cannot be nullified, Jareth knows that very well. One human must always stay behind, whether it be the child who was wished away or the one foolish enough to cast the wish. However, he enjoyed playing with the feeling of humans, letting them think there is a chance to save the child when there was no way to bring both back. His grin widened and he stood up. He walked over to the window, gazing down at the mass chaos that was his realm. He sat there, knowing that everything was as it should be.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading this story. I hoped you enjoyed it!**


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